Bonds
by Hybryd0
Summary: They don't know who they are. They don't know where they are. But they have each other...kind of...


AN: The aliens are mine. The powers are mine. None of the humans are mine.

ABSKTDCXZ

He jolts awake feeling as if he can't breathe. He gasps for breath as his body heaves with the effort. Hands hold him down and in his broken state of mind he panics. He struggles against them even as his lungs burn for oxygen he desperately needs. He wants to scream, to shout and tell them not to touch him, but he can't draw enough breath to satisfy his body's need let alone speak.

"Aerr, please calm down," a male voice coaxes from somewhere nearby.

A hand smooths over his forehead and he feels fur as a face comes into view. His immediate thought is that it looks like a giant gerbil without the huge front teeth. He doesn't get a chance to think about it any further as some kind of mask is placed over his face and suddenly he feels as if he is actually getting enough oxygen. He can breathe again and with that comes a clearer thought process.

"That's better," the furry creature says with what looks like a smile. "You gave us quite a scare, Aerr."

Aerr? Is that his name. He realizes with a start that he doesn't know his name. In fact he can't remember anything about himself. He doesn't even know what he looks like. Is furry like the creature talking to him? It's an unsettling feeling that makes him feel like panicking again.

"His heart rate his going back up," another voice says.

"Please Aerr, you must stay calm," the first speaker coaxes. "My name is Fenlak Sen Uht, but you can just call me Fen. I am a doctor and you are in my infirmary."

He reaches up and pulls the face mask off despite the protests of those around him. "You keep saying Aerr. Is that my name?"

"Yes," Fen confirms with a furrowed brow. "I had hoped you would not suffer amnesia like the rest of your teammates, but whatever the Confederation did to you..."

"Teammates? Confederation?" Aerr repeats in confusion. His mind his whirling, but no answers are coming.

"Please, now is not the time to talk about details," Fen says and gently pushes Aerr so that he's laying down again. "You must rest and recuperate. I promise when you wake up your questions will be answered."

Aerr wants to protest, but he feels too exhausted. Despite wanting to know what's going on his eyes drift shut and within seconds he's asleep.

The next time he wakes up he feels considerably better. He can breathe easily and he feels stronger too. He sits up and looks around, taking note that he's in a different room than before. Besides the bed he's sleeping in there are six more and each of them is neatly made. Beside each bed is a dresser and small table. Other than that there are no further decorations and for some reason that bothers him, but he can't figure out why and pushes it to the back of his mind.

He shoves the blankets back and climbs out of the bed. He realizes quickly that he's only wearing boxers and when he looks down he sees only tan skin that's smooth except for a terrible, painful looking scar on the left side of his chest. The worst part is not knowing how he got the scar. Possibly in the same incident that took his memories from him? He isn't sure, but he knows he wants answers. But first he needs clothes.

With that thought in mind he looks around and spots a uniform of some kind laid out on the top of the dresser by his bed. There is a pair of black pants trimmed with silver that is soft to the touch, a jacket made of the same material that is mostly black but the sleeves are trimmed with silver, and there is a silver undershirt that's smooth rather than soft. There are also socks and a pair of black boots at the bottom of the dresser.

At the back of his mind he wonders why he can recognize what these things are, but not remember anything else. In light of hopefully getting some answers he pushes that to the back of his mind along with the other various things bothering him.

He quickly puts everything on and once he's sure he's presentable he heads toward the door at the far side of the room. After a brief hesitation he snaps it open and blinks at the bright light that suddenly fills his vision. As the white fades back to normal he looks around the room. There are couches, tables, and two reclining chairs. There is a TV with gaming systems and a whole lot of games spread on the cream colored carpeted floor. On the far side of the room is a big space with mats and padded walls along with protective gear and wooden weapons for practice.

As his eyes drift back to the couches he finds himself on the receiving end of seven very curious gazes. He stares back and wonders just who these seven people are. They are dressed in uniforms like his except all of them have different colors of trim. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he can a door on the opposite side of the room opens.

Two hulking creatures stomp into the room. They stand at an easy ten feet with bulky chrome armor that clangs with every step. They have dark gray skin that just looks rough and thick. Their black eyes are deep set and a three foot long, slightly curved horn adorns the tip of each muzzle. Their ears are pointed and flick erratically with every sound. Thick fingered hands hold crackling axe-like weapons in grips he is sure would never unwillingly be broken. These creatures look born and bred for combat and that makes Aerr just a little uneasy.

A third creature appears from behind the two behemoths. This creature is a cyborg. Half the head, the whole left arm, and both legs have been replaced by gleaming silver machinery. There is also a chest piece that has a yellow light that blinks in a steady rhythm. The natural parts of the creature are covered with what looks like soft orange and white striped fur. The natural right arm ends with a three fingered hand with mean looking claws. The cyborg eye is a glowing green while the natural eyes is a soft, muted green.

Lastly a rather small rodent-like creature scurries in after the cyborg. It has soft brown fur, small black eyes and a long tail with a fluff of brown fur on the end. It is wearing what looks like a lab coat, a pair of bulky glasses, and is carrying a stack of devices that Aerr doesn't recognize.

"Aerr, I am pleased to be seeing you up and about," the cyborg says in a thick accent. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Aerr replies. He glances around at the other occupants of the room before looking back at the cyborg. "Can I ask what's going on and why I don't remember anything?"

"This may take a vhile," the cyborg replies. "If you all vill just take seats I vill answer all your questions."

Aerr hesitates then approaches one of the empty recliners and takes a seat. All the others do the same. The cyborg stands so that everyone can see him. It takes a moment for everyone to settle, but when they do the cyborg begins to speak again.

"I have tried to decide vhere it vould be easiest to start," he pauses for a moment. "My name is Kom et Maut I am the Da of the ship ve are currently on. You are all members of the elite Delta Stealth Strike Power Rangers. On your last mission you vere captured by the enemy along with the Alpha and Beta Stealth Strike teams. Vhat was done to you is unknown to us. It vas clear that your vere all tortured and by some means your memories vere taken from you."

"Why can I still remember little things?" one of the other young men asks.

"Again ve do not know vhat the Confederation did to you. You all seem to remember basic things but everything that has to do vith who you are is a different matter," Kom says. "Our doctors believe that the Confederation vas trying to vipe your memories clean so as to use you against us."

Aerr is no less confused than before. There is so much that doesn't make sense. Some things he understands and seems to know on an instinctive level. He knows what a Power Ranger is and for some reason it strikes a deep chord in him. But he doesn't know what Da is supposed to mean or who the Confederation is.

"I can see on your faces that you still have much you need answered," Kom says. "I think first of all it vould be fair for Aerr to know all your names. Ve vill go around the room from left to right and introduce yourselves."

Aerr feels a little overwhelmed by all the new information being thrown his way. He tries to mentally categorize everyone's individual looks with names so he can remember them.

There is a young man with wild blond hair and dark sparkling eyes that introduces himself as Zerr and is wearing a pure black uniform with no trim color of any kind. Following him is a teen with neatly cut brown hair and piercing brown eyes named Berr who has blue on his uniform. The only female in the room, Terr, has long straight blond hair, sharp eyes, and white coloring on her uniform. The next blond haired young man has a red trimmed uniform and looks nervous as he introduces himself as Serr. Derr is a young man with messy brown hair and scrutinizing dark eyes and is wearing a uniform with gold trim. A freckle faced boy with flaming red hair and yellow trim enthusiastically introduces himself as Cerr. And the final teammate is a soft spoken boy named Xerr with a weird accent and a green trimmed uniform.

"Good, good. Now that ve have that out of the vay ve can move on," Kom says, sounding slightly amused. Aerr doesn't feel amused at all.

"What did you mean when you called yourself the Da of the ship?" Berr asks.

"I am the, ah vhat is vord...Captain. Yes, I am Captain of this ship. My formal title is Da'Kom, vhich is how you should address me," the cyborg replies.

"You said we were captured by the Confederation. Who is that?" Aerr questions. He wants to know who is responsible for his amnesia. He wants to know more than that, but knows that it will take time for him to learn everything.

"That is question vith long answer," Kom says. "I vill answer that, but first you need to relearn the basics about yourself and your teammates as vell as the rest of your allies."

At those words the rodent creature that has remained silent the whole time scurries forward and passes out the devices it has been holding. Aerr takes his with a small smile of thanks to the creature and glances at it curiously.

"Those are data-pads and they have been programmed vith all the most important information that you have forgotten. Except for the Confederation. That ve vill tackle once you are familiarized vith the important things," Kom explains. "I have some things to attend to, however, I vill be back in a few hours to check on you. Feel free to entertain yourselves, but I must ask you not explore the rest of the ship just yet."

Aerr sighs and looks down at the pad. He doesn't know what he used to be like, but he knows that right now the last thing he wants to do is sit around and read for hours. He feels the need to _do_. Do something, anything that doesn't consist of doing nothing. However, it seems like if he wants to learn the answers to his questions he has to read.

So for the next two hours that's what he does. Using the stylus that accompanied the data-pad he scrolls through all the various information. First he learns about himself. He is shocked to read he is the leader of the Delta Stealth Strike Rangers. After reading further he learns that his family had all been killed or captured by the Confederation with the exception of his brother who is a member of the Alpha Stealth Strike Rangers. He, his brother, and the rest of his Rangers had all been orphaned and the Covenant had taken them in. They had been trained as Rangers from an early childhood and raised to think of one another as siblings. He continues to read about all things he and the rest of the Delta team have achieved. There is even a file about the last mission they had been assigned to when they were captured.

Once he is done with himself he reads about the rest of the team. He is dismayed to discover that one of his teammates, Merr, had not been rescued with the rest of the team and it is believed that she is actually dead. He learns that Derr is in fact his second-in-command. At reading that he glances up at the young man in question and finds those dark eyes already on him, watching him with a kind of calm that is infectious. He risks a smile and is rewarded with one in return. It gives him a warm feeling inside for just that little bit of connection.

Feeling even better than before he goes on to read about the Covenant and the races that make it up. Using links that lead to realistic animations he is able to identify the guards as Marxens, the only warrior race in the Covenant. The furry alien is a Darz, the scientists and doctors. Kom is a Tohri, the leaders and diplomats of the Covenant. While reading about the Tohri he learns that most of the race has been wiped out by a virus engineered by the Confederation. Those that have survived only did so by becoming cyborgs to replace lost limbs and organs.

After that come the races of the Covenant that he hasn't seen yet.

The animation of the Quax shows a very insect-like species. They have black exo-skeletons like insects do along with antennae on the heads and huge black eyes. There are two mandibles on each side of the mouth that seem to be able to move completely independent of each other. They are listed as the workers of the Covenant, but Aerr is sure they could probably defend themselves if necessary.

The next race, the Mhtm, are listed as having evolved from plants, but they look remarkably like Aerr and his teammates. There is a slight more green tint to their skin and the hair is really nothing more than very tightly packed leaves. The eyes are a luminescent golden color that's flecked with black. Battle worn chrome armor covers the body and a helmet is held in one hand. They are listed as the other active warriors of the Covenant, but to Aerr they look more vulnerable than any of the other races. They don't appear to have any natural weaponry and they're not as big as most of the other races.

The Allsians are the last race of the Covenant. The animation shows a creature that has smooth, almost slick looking light gray skin with a blunt muzzle of a face and one stripe of black fur running from the forehead to the base of the neck. The ears are small and pointed while the yellow, almost reptilian eyes are not comically large, but large enough to be noticeable. The muzzle has two slits for nostrils and one fang is visible on the right side. The hands have six fingers and are thin, almost delicate looking. The Allsians are apparently the merchants.

He's surprised to see the members of the Covenant were actually a part of the Allteran Confederation. Apparently the Tohri realized they and other members of the Confederation were being manipulated. The Tohri revealed the Confederation for what it really was and six members split off and formed the Covenant. There aren't a great deal of details about what happened and that doesn't sit quite right with Aerr, but for the moment he's willing to let it go.

Aerr isn't sure he's going to be able to remember all those details, but it makes him feel better to know. The only thing that bothers him is that none of the races look like his teammates. Or himself for that matter. Why aren't they in the Covenant? Where are his people? What are they called? Don't they do anything for the Covenant?

"I guess this means we'll be taking orders from you," Terr's voice breaks the thick silence that has enveloped the room.

"Who says?" Berr demands.

Aerr glances over at him, surprised by the anger.

"I say," Derr retorts fiercely. "If this says Aerr is our leader then we follow him."

"Why? He's obviously not a good leader if he got us captured," Berr argues. Aerr fidgets under the furious look Berr shoots his way.

"How do you know what kind of leader he is? Who says there's anything he could have done to keep us from being captured?" Derr shoots back. "He's your leader and you're going to follow him."

The fury just seems to grow in Berr's eyes and Aerr knows he has to do something to stop the tempers from flaring any further. The last thing they need is for any of them to come to blows.

"Listen guys, at this point I don't think any of us are fit to lead. For now I think we should all just try and get to know each other again," Aerr notes that Berr doesn't look appeased. "Look, I think deciding who the leader is should be the last of our concerns right now. This file says we were as close as siblings and I for one just want to get that back."

Berr's expression softens a little at that though he seems unwilling to give it up completely. The tension that had started to fill the room begins to dissipate as Berr returns to reading his data-pad. Derr gives the other young man a furious look, but eventually he turns his attention back to his data-pad as well. With everyone reading once more Aerr takes a moment to assess them and the situation.

It bothers him in a deep and aching way that he can't remember these people. They are supposed to be his brothers and sister. He has grown up with them. And yet he can't remember anything. By his file he knows he is nearly 25 and the oldest of the team. He and his brother had been adopted into the Covenant when they were two and three. That means he should have twenty-two years of memories with his teammates. And there is nothing. He can't remember if Berr has always been so argumentative and angry or if Derr is really supportive of his leadership. From what he understands of the file they were a close team and have been through a lot, but there is nothing for him to connect to. He has no idea how he really feels about any of them. Does he get along with them all? Is he closer to some than others? The feeling of not knowing these simple, yet infinitely important details is unsettling to say the least.

The door to the room slides open and the two Marxens enter and are followed by Kom. The cyborg comes to stand before them. He looks at each of them in turn before smiling slightly.

"Have you all finished reading?" Kom asks. There are murmurs of confirmation and that seems to please the cyborg. "Good, then it is time for you to learn more."

"I don't know if I can handle more," Serr comments and then blushes when he realizes he said it out loud.

Kom shoots him an amused smile and Aerr still finds nothing amusing. "Perhaps then I should take you to the mess hall vhere you can eat and absorb vhat you have learned. Then ve have further discussion, yes?"

At the mention of food Aerr's stomach rumbles which earns him amused looks from around the room. There's agreements from everyone that food is an appealing idea and Aerr follows as Kom leads them out of the room. The corridor outside is nothing like the room they were just in. It's all cold metal with slightly bluish lights and two more of the Marxen guards. Aerr wonders what the guards are for. If they're all on the same team is the escort really necessary? And are they protecting the team from something or everyone else from the team?

VvvvV

Okay, so, I have a little bit of an idea of where this is going. Kinda. I know the basics of what I want to do with this, but at this point and time there...isn't really much of a plotline. It's going to be about them connecting as friends, teammates, and maybe more. So if you don't mind reading something that might meander and take a while to actually go someplace I say enjoy the ride. Also, I'm sure the identities of most, if not all, of them are obvious. It wasn't really meant to be super hard to figure out. Take a guess and I'll either confirm or deny, though I won't say which are right or wrong. I'm actually against writing Kom's accent the way I did, but I couldn't think of a better way to show it. Lastly, there are very few female rangers that I've liked therefore only one is making an appearance in this.


End file.
